


S-A-M

by ArcaneAnima



Category: Original Work
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-10
Updated: 2019-05-21
Packaged: 2019-08-21 10:45:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,638
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16574948
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArcaneAnima/pseuds/ArcaneAnima
Summary: Here's a little fic booklet for my best friend's birthday!All characters are made up and belong to both me and her. I'll update this as often as I can.You're always drawing me gorgeous pictures of our OCs, but my drawing skills were never my strong point, so I wanted to write you something. Thank you for being an amazing friend throughout the years, Sam.I hope you like it, beb <3





	1. Chapter 1

Hiroshi Aizaki kept to himself. That’s simply how he was throughout the years-- from his early years in elementary all the way to his current time in high school. It never really bothered him; he didn’t see it as loneliness, but as peaceful solitude. It was his choice. Hiroshi never craved for the company of others, and people did not understand that. Perhaps it was that mystery that drew so many towards his bubble, but none were brave enough to ever venture into it -- except his siblings, and his childhood friend Kana. And recently, the delinquent girl he had to share his rooftop space with who was surprisingly tolerable and even more surprisingly intelligent. Hiroshi sighed at the thought that maybe high school marked the beginning of the end of his peace. 

The dark haired boy sat against the metal fencing of the school’s rooftop, his half-eaten crab sandwich breakfast left unattended beside him as he scrolls idly on his phone. The sky above him was slightly cloudy, casting a shadow on him every few minutes as the cool breeze kissed away the sunlight’s heat on his skin and blew against his phone’s furry cat charm. It was the first day of school, and it was his second year. He could hear the distant chatter and bustle in the several levels below him, where first years were running around trying to find their classrooms, and the higher levels were rushing to meet with friends. Hiroshi let out a sigh as the bell atop the school tower began to ring, signalling students to head to the auditorium for the president’s welcoming speech. The boy pushed himself up, gathered his belongings, and opened the door to the staircase. He nearly walked into a smaller figure.

“Ah, Aizaki,” the person greeted. The girl walked around him, throwing off her leather jacket and settling into the spot he just vacated. It was May Kurotori, the head delinquent of the school. She was in his year, having risen in ranks last year-- in their first year-- when she beat the previous leader in a spar. She didn’t look like much sitting there with a pink smoothie in her hand, but everyone in the school knew better than to cross paths with her. She was also the only other person that he acknowledged.

“Kurotori,” he greeted back. “Aren’t you going to the assembly? ...not that I care.” She shrugged in nonchalance. “Isn’t your brother the new student council president?” She shrugged again. Hiroshi shrugged back, turning tail and heading to the assembly.

_It’s the first day,_ he reminded himself as he arrived on the first floor where crowds of students waited around in front of the auditorium. _It won’t always be this crowded and loud._ All four year levels were gathering in that one area, so it was insanely cramped. Hiroshi weaved through a few skittish first years, and some upperclassmen he recognized from last year. Ducking under some guys gesturing excitedly with their friends, Hiroshi slinked towards a group of familiar faces. “Hey,” he greeted.

“Ah, Hiro,” the orange-headed boy exclaimed, a little startled. The boy had his long hair tied back in a neat, low ponytail, his bangs having grown long over the summer and covering his eyes. His name was Kana Aizaki, Hiroshi’s adopted brother, and he was a timid soul. Kana was fidgeting, adjusting his school blazer every few minutes to make sure there weren’t any wrinkles or lint stuck on. “We were beginning to wonder if you were gonna show up,” he said softly.

“How could you abandon me in my time of need?” whined the blonde freshman girl, who moved from the space beside Kana to latch onto Hiroshi’s arm.

“Deka, you’re not even nervous,” he accused.

“It’s still my first day of high school, big brother,” she sulked, clinging onto his sleeve tightly. Deka wore her uniform slightly differently than most of the nervous first years, who all wore theirs strictly up to school code. His sister, ever the rebel, had already altered her uniform-- her stockings were white instead of black, her red tie was replaced with a thin black bow, and she had accessorized her twin braids by weaving the same black ribbon through her hair. She was dressed like an upperclassmen, basically. 

“We’re heading in,” informed Kana as the student council members-- marked with their bright yellow armbands-- opened the doors to the auditorium. Older students strolled in leisurely, knowing which general location their year is and figuring out where their classes were when they got there. First years were being directed by the student council members, guided straight to their seats if need be. Hiroshi and Kana walked their little sister to her seat. “We’ll be on the opposite end of the auditorium, though we won’t see you until after school,” Kana told Deka. “We’re to head to class right after the opening ceremony.”

“We’ll see you later,” said Hiroshi with a wave, and both he and Kana turned to walk away. He was stopped someone holding onto his sleeve.

“Stay.”

“Deka,” Hiroshi began, turning around. He paused, taking in her little sister, who had grown up so fast… looking as young as she actually is. Her eyes were downcast; her strong front had finally cracked and she sat on the cold metal chair, surrounded by people she didn’t know. It was like the first day of elementary all over again. Behind her makeup and her frilly bows and her nonchalant attitude, she was the same, insecure little girl with abandonment issues. “Hey,” his voice softened, placing a hand atop her blonde head. “It’ll be okay. Every freshman is nervous, there’s no shame in it. You’ll make friends in no time.” 

“You really think so?”

“Pretty sure,” he nodded. Deka let go of his sleeve, slowly. “Just try not to be too cold in the beginning,” he added, a teasing lilt to his voice.

“I’m not cold,” she grumbled, folding her arms. Hiroshi shook his head, amused. Judging from the small group of boys already ogling Deka from a few feet away, Hiroshi knew she would have no problem attracting attention. He was just worried she would attract the wrong kind, but he knew she could handle herself. Behind him, Kana’s sharp glare cut through his thick hair and into the startled boys, scattering them in their fear.

“We gotta hurry to our seats now,” Hiroshi informed her, waiting for her to express resignation of sorts so that it wouldn’t seem like they were abandoning her. Deka nodded up at them, her lips a thin line. Kana gave her a pat as well, before they left the freshman side of the auditorium to find their seats. 

In just a minute, the loud cacophony of excited chatter died into a soft murmur throughout the auditorium. On stage, a small group of students with yellow armbands had settled on lined-up chairs, and one figure stood at the podium, waiting for everyone to quiet down on their own. Once it was quiet enough, the purple-haired student tapped on the microphone. “Hello, good morning, everyone!” he said clearly and cheerfully. Despite his impeccable uniform (Hiroshi knew he didn’t really wear it that way), the purple-haired student stood with a warm, welcoming smile. “My name is Getsuga Azama, and I’m the Vice President of the student council this year. On behalf of the student council and the faculty of the school, I welcome all the new students-- and to the older students, welcome back.”

Hiroshi zoned out on the speech, catching bits and pieces of Getsuga reassuring the first years that the environment of this school was extremely inclusive and friendly, informing everyone of certain dates that will be announced, such as days to join clubs and try-outs for cheer and sports. He also vaguely heard him joke about having to do the opening speech in place of the actual president so that the president wouldn’t scare away the entirety of the freshman body. “Lastly,” Getsuga spoke into the microphone, “before I kill half the school from boredom--” A buzz of laughter resounded within the auditorium. “--student council is accepting applications again this year for two student representatives for each year. It’s a lot of work, I’m not gonna lie, but it’s also a lot of fun.” For some reason, his friendly demeanor made that believable. “And with that, I send you off to your expectant senseis waiting in your assigned classrooms. Have an amazing year!” 

Hiroshi stood up as the chatter started up again. All the students stood and heading towards the exit, the years mixing into a mess of a crowded area. Getsuga was reminding everyone their years’ assigned floors over the speakers, adding to the volume. Hiroshi squinted at the ground as he shuffled along next to Kana, who walked wordlessly next to him because he understood how much he disliked loud and crowded places. 

“Hiroshi,” Kana suddenly said, using his whole first name to catch his attention, “watch where--”

“Oof--”

“Ouch!”

“I’m sorry,” Hiroshi said without thinking, looking up. He had walked into a girl from behind. “Sorry, I wasn’t watching where I was going.”

“It’s okay,” she answered as she turned around, blonde curls falling against her shoulders. She waved her hands in a dismissive way, smiling. “Don’t worry about it.” Hiroshi’s golden eyes widened a fraction as his eyes met her baby blues. There was a beat, and the girl’s cheeks coloured-- making Hiroshi realize he hadn’t answered and was openly staring at her. Hiroshi coughed awkwardly, noticing Kana walking away with a slightly mischievous smile thrown haphazardly his way. Traitor. “Is-Is there something on my face…?” her voice broke through his train of thought, and she placed a hand over her cheek delicately, averting her gaze. He found himself wanting her to look back at him again.

“No, no, sorry. Um.” Wow, he had never felt so speechless before. She looked at him timidly. Her face was framed carefully by her golden curls that fell gracefully out of a purposely messy ponytail. She wore her uniform very prim and proper, and Hiroshi was baffled that he was tongue-tied before a freshman. He coughed again, awkwardly. “Sorry, I.. wasn’t watching where I was going.”

“You said that already,” she pointed out, a ghost of a smile on her pink lips. Hiroshi felt his face heat up, head down in embarrassment. “It’s alright,” she amended, “it’s crowded in here.”

“Yeah,” he muttered, looking at her from under his lashes. 

“Um, I’m Yula.” What a foreign sounding name, he thought, surprised that she even offered it. He liked it-- her name. “Yula Takeshima.”

“Yula,” he repeated, failing to realize he had said her first name so casually. Her face coloured again, but Hiroshi did not catch it. “I’m Hiroshi Aizaki,” he said, stiffly.

“It was nice to meet you, Aizaki-san. See you around?”

“Yeah,” he nodded. He watched, standing still as the crowd moved around him, as she waved and spun around to disappear between the bodies herself. He stood there for a beat longer, before forcing himself to move. If he came into class last, it would attract attention, and attention wasn’t what he wanted. Still, as he made his way down the hall and up the stairs to the second floor, he couldn’t help but think: 

_What the hell was that???_


	2. Chapter 2

“Who was that?” 

“Oh, a stranger. He bumped into me accidentally,” Yula replied as she caught up to her twin brother, who was standing in wait for her outside the auditorium. The boy--Saito-- felt his own blue eyes narrowed at his sister, observing the colour in her cheeks and the giddy tone of her voice. He hoped she hadn’t developed a crush already…

“Are you okay?” He asked. They began walking towards the grand set of stairs in the middle of the lobby, directed by council members and volunteers that let them know second years go to the second floor. “He didn’t step on you or anything, did he?”

“Of course not,” she laughed, sending a wave of pleasant relief coursing through him. His worries vanished instantly, and he found himself smiling softly at her. “You worry about me too much; I can handle myself you know.” Yula turned to him as they ascended the steps, a playful look in her eyes. “We might be in a new school, but I don’t need you doting on me, Saito.” He sighed.

“I know. I’m just a little… not okay with the fact we aren’t in the same class.”

“Are you maybe scared yourself?” she teased. “There’s no shame in admitting you’re nervous to be separated. We’re always together after all.”

“I am not scared, that’s absurd,” denied the blond boy with a shake of his head. “I’m just down the hall from you, anyways.”

“Yup, and this is your class.” Yula had stopped walking, and they stood just outside the doors of classroom 2-A. “I’m in 2-C, so I’ll see you later, Saito~” He watched as she waved and continued down the hall, taking a deep breath before disappearing two doors down. Saito felt himself bite his lip, standing idly outside of his classroom for a brief moment.

“You’re new, aren’t you?”

“Wh--” Saito startled slightly at the feminine voice, whipping around to see big blue eyes close to him. For a moment, he thought it was Yula, but this girl’s eyes were a deeper blue-- stormier. The blond took a step back from the brunette invading his personal bubble. “Uh,” he began, “yeah.”

“I thought so,” she grinned victoriously, straightening up. The girl wore her uniform a bit differently that most, he observed, with sparkling crystal decorations on her bag, a thick, decorative pink bow instead of a necktie, and glittery, dangling earrings. She had her brown hair tied up in a messy side-ponytail, and she wore open-toed black heels instead of the standard brown loafers. She had her hands clasped behind her back, and Saito felt slightly apprehensive as she observed him. “Yeah, with a face like that, I would definitely have remembered you from last year.”

“Excuse me?” he asked, confused. 

“Oh, nothing! I’m Hina, by the way-- call me Hina.” She gave him a warm smile. “Was that your girlfriend just now? She’s gorgeous.”

“That… was my sister,” he answered after a beat.

“Oh,” she nodded, looking like she was deep in thought for a moment. The smile returned to her glossed lips. “There’s no need to be nervous here-- everyone in this school is pretty friendly.”

“I’m not exactly here to make friends,” he found himself admitting nonchalantly. The girl--Hina-- didn’t seem too bothered by his indifference though. She opened her mouth to say something else, but was interrupted.

“Hina, what are you doing? We’re gonna be late,” came a new voice. Saito internally cringed-- he didn’t plan on interacting with anyone, but somehow social interaction found him. He watched as a green-haired girl approached Hina and grabbed her hand, pulling her towards the other classrooms. Ah, so they aren’t his classmates… he was slightly relieved.

“Okay, okay, don’t tug my arm off, Ice. I need that,” she laughed, and Saito caught himself thinking that she had a very melodic laugh. Hina’s honey brown eyes found him again as she waved and allowed Ice to drag her off. “See you around, newbie!”

“Right,” he mumbled, as the duo disappeared into the classroom nextdoor. “Friendly is an understatement…” Taking note of the dwindling number of students in the hall, Saito concluded that class was about to start. Without further ado, he opened the door to classroom 2-A, trying not to make eye contact with anybody. 

“Ah, a new face. You must be Takeshima Saito,” greeted the teacher. Saito nodded wordlessly. “Your seat is the one at the end of the row, by the window. Let me know if you have difficulty seeing the board from the back, okay?”

“Thank you,” he bowed, making his way through the rows of students and feeling eyes on him. He was thankful that this school didn’t do the whole “introduction” business as it put less attention on him, but he knew he was bound to attract attention anyway-- being a new student and all. However, once he was seated, he found that not only were the girls staring at him, but the guys in the class were straight up glaring.

“Oh, buddy, you gon’ have a bit of a tough time,” said the boy seated in front of him, turning around fully. He wore a rabbit hat atop his head, which Saito was certain was also against school rules. It seemed like dress code wasn’t as strict here as he thought. The boy, who had a dull, pale brown messy mop of hair, had a distinct provincial accent. When Saito looked up at him, he was surprised to see that one of the boy’s eyes was nearly whited out. “Yeah, I can’t see outta that eye,” the boy interrupted his thoughts, reading his face accurately. He stared at Saito for a while, studying him, and Saito didn’t like it. Too many people have nosed up in his business today. He just wanted to be left alone.

“I’m fine, thank you,” Saito said curtly, turning away to take in the view from the window beside his new seat. 

“Ya got a nice face,” the boy said, ignoring his previous statement. Saito looked at him again, confused by his statement, but the boy continued on. “Ya gon’ be popular with the girlies for sure, and judgin’ by who was talkin’ to ya outside just now, not so popular with the men.”

“What?” Saito asked intelligently. The boy only grinned, sticking out his hand.

“Name’s Soshi, lemme show ya the ropes around here, yeah?”

The blond stared at Soshi’s outstretched hand, weighing his options. He could decline and live a peaceful student life in solitude as planned-- save for Yula’s company. Or he could accept the offer, try and make friends, and make Yula worry less. It seemed to him that this was the first major decision he would be making at this school-- a decision he would make by himself. Running his hand through his hair with a sigh, Saito shook Soshi’s hand. 

“Saito Takeshima. I’ll be in your care.”


	3. Chapter 3

“You’re gonna be alright, right?” asked the blond freshman to his big brother, who was bouncing on the steps of the grand staircase after the opening ceremony. 

“Kazuki, I’m on my third year. I should be asking you that,” laughed the older blond. His red bangs were windswept through his blond hair, and his earring gleamed in the light. Kazuki’s lips thinned at his older brother’s lack of proper uniform, and he wondered if this was a mark of the upperclassmen. 

“Yeah, I know, but we’re still both new to this school, Kaji.” Kazuki sighed, rubbing his temples. His brother, Kaji, was bright and cheery, excited to run head-first into their new school. Kazuki was in his first year, so it didn’t really matter to him if they had just transferred or not-- but Kaji was transferring into the middle of the year wherein everyone has had time to get into their cliques. “You sure you’ll be fine?”

“Yes, mommmm,” teased Kaji, rubbing Kazuki’s head and giving him bed head. Swiping at him, Kazuki fixed his hair as he watched Kaji run up the stairs, laughing. _What a free-spirit,_ he thought, shaking his head and walking away from the steps and towards the hall where the first-year classes were. The first door was his, if he recalled correctly-- 1-A. Kazuki found himself thinking of a million things-- what clubs he wanted to join… Maybe he would join the council and be the first-year rep. Was he up to the task? It would look amazing on his resume…

“A-Aah, Higeko!” squeaked a soft voice, attracting Kazuki’s attention immediately due to the urgency of it. Kazuki looked around, vaguely realizing that most of the students have already entered the classrooms, and it was him left out in the hall with two other figures. The girl who had exclaimed was trying to pull another person up from the floor, and Kazuki rushed to their aid immediately and without second thought. 

“Is she okay?” Kazuki asked, alarmed, taking in the pale visage of the black-haired girl who had fallen on the floor. The other girl, who had let out the panicked squeal, was kneeling next to her and trying to hoist her up. 

“Sh-she’s my sister, and she really um… she doesn’t have a lot of blood,” the girl squeaked. Kazuki looked up at her briefly-- and did a double take. They looked almost exactly alike, except the girl kneeling next to the other had a shock of short, bubblegum pink hair and possibly the cutest face he had ever laid his eyes on… and she looked terrified.

“Anemic,” he provided, keeping his voice cool and even so that she would find it in him to calm herself down. Finding the right word seemed to give her a bit of footing, and she nodded sharply.

“Y-Yes! She’s anemic…”

“What’s your name?” Kazuki asked.

“F-Fae…”

“Okay, Fae, my name is Kazuki Sakurai. I want you to go to your class and…?” He looked at the black-haired girl questioningly as he put her arm around his shoulder and helped him up.

“Higeko…” the sickly girl provided weakly.

“Thank you,” he said softly to her, before turning to Fae again. “Please go to your class and Higeko’s and inform your teachers that you’ll be in the infirmary. While you do that, I’ll help her there.”

“W-Will you be okay going there?”

“Of course, and I’ll keep her safe on the way. You can catch up to us when you’re done, and I won’t leave her until you get there.”

“Oh, thank you,” exclaimed Fae, taking Kazuki’s free hand and clasping it between hers. She squeezed her eyes shot and mumbled something unintelligible, before letting go and bowing. “I’ll be quick!” she said, mostly to Higeko. “I’ll see you there okay?”

“Okay,” replied Higeko in a mutter, but Fae had already scurried off in a hurry. Kazuki helped Higeko walk down the opposite direction of the classrooms, down a hallway where the infirmary was suppose to be. “I’m sorry about this,” the black haired girl mumbled softly. Her hair was cut unevenly, he noticed, as if she had gone at her locks with a pair of scissors on her own, and her pink eyes were slightly glazed over. She looked weak and tired… he wondered why she bothered showing up to school in such a state. It wasn’t his business to ask, so he didn’t.

“Don’t worry about it,” he replied, “please save your strength. You seem really sick.”

“Honestly, I just didn’t get enough sleep,” replied Higeko, “and this is what happens when I’m not at my best…” she continued in disdain. Kazuki wasn’t sure what to say to that, but he gathered that she was sickly often-- perhaps always. 

“I’m sure a nap would do you some good then,” he commented as he knocked on the infirmary door, waiting a second before the door slid open.

“So soon, huh? It isn’t even first period. I guess I’ve got my work cut out for me,” the school nurse said through the open door with a quirk of his lip. “Come in, come in.”

“Sorry for the trouble,” Kazuki said politely, supporting Higeko as she treaded carefully into the room and towards a bed. She sat down slowly, and her eyes slid shut as soon as she was settled on the bed. She looked like a fragile porcelain doll, unmoving, and Kazuki felt a tinge of pity.

“No trouble at all. I’m Naoki-sensei, the school’s head nurse.” Naoki moved a lock of gray hair from his slender face, moving it into the rest of his black hair, and wrapped a stethoscope around his neck. “Can you tell me what happened?”

“Kazuki Sakurai, I’m a freshman… and this is Higeko. She’s a first year, too,” Kazuki provided so Higeko wouldn’t have to. “I didn’t see the whole incident, but she was on the floor by the time I saw her. Her sister, Fae, should come soon. She said she’s anemic.” Naoki-sensei rolled his chair over to Higeko, asking her for permission to touch her, to which she simply nodded. The nurse held her wrist gently to check her pulse and feel her temperature, then pulled the skin under her eyes down a little to see the colour. 

“Do you have a headache?” he asked Higeko, to which she nodded again. “Do you take iron supplements?” Higeko shook her head. “Thank you,” he said softly, rolling his chair back to his desk. Kazuki watched as the older man searched through his cupboards just as Fae burst through the door. Naoki-sensei acknowledged Fae with a nod, before addressing Higeko, who was still unmoving on the infirmary bed. “Anemic is right, so I’m gonna give you a couple of iron supplements to help a little. I recommend you adjust your diet accordingly. But more than that, I’m seeing signs of fatigue. Did you sleep last night?”

“Like a baby,” Higeko muttered at the same time Fae admitted, “she didn’t sleep a wink!” Kazuki watched as Higeko gave her sister a withering stare, to which the pink-haired girl shrank slightly from, smiling sheepishly.

“Y-You can’t lie about your health, sis,” Fae tried to amend.

“She’s right, you know,” Naoki-sensei chimed in. He handed Higeko a glass of water and a small bottle, informing her that she needs to down the supplement and take first period off to rest. “You two can head back to class,” he told Fae and Kazuki as he handed them a late pass, “I’ll give Higeko here a note when she returns to class as well-- when she feels genuinely better.”

“I didn’t wanna worry Fae,” Higeko mumbled, so softly that Kazuki nearly missed it. Fae tucked her into bed, thanking Naoki-sensei profusely before she followed Kazuki out the infirmary, sliding the door closed quietly behind her. The walk down the hallway was quiet, and if Kazuki was being honest, a little tense. He wasn’t sure why, but the pink-haired girl walking slightly ahead of him did so stiffly. He watched her wordlessly, strolling casually a bit behind her with his hands in his pockets. Now that the little adrenaline in his veins was ebbing away, he found himself thinking: ‘they look exactly alike, disregarding hair and eye colour. I wonder if they’re twins?’

Kazuki let out a soft “oof” as the smaller form stopped abruptly before him. “Um,” he said, taking a couple of steps back from her. Fae stood there stiffly for a moment, before she whipped around, her cheeks puffed out and her fists balled up. Kazuki gulped. ‘Cute.’

“Thank you so much, for, for helping me and my sister, um!” Fae burst, stopping in confusion and then expression morphing to mortification as she realized she doesn’t remember his name. Kazuki felt the corner of his lip quirk. “Um…”

“It’s Sakurai. Sakurai Kazuki,” he provided.

“K-Kazuki-kun!” Kazuki nearly blanched at how casually she used his first name. She stepped forward, pulling out and grasping his probably-clammy hands, and continued, “thank you very much!!!”

Kazuki averted his gaze, feeling his cheeks fill with warmth. Her hands were encapsulating his, and they were so soft, so small. “N-No problem.” Fae beamed at him, her smile sending a sharp thump through Kazuki’s chest, then she brought his hands towards her lips and closed her eyes, her mouth moving in a silent prayer.

“I prayed for the fairies to bless you,” she explained as she let go of his hands. The blond nodded mutely, still bright pink, as Fae said, “thank you again, Kazuki-kun! U-Um, I hope we can check on Higeko together later! We should get to class, so… See you around!”

Kazuki stood, unmoving in the hall, as Fae span around ran into her class. After a beat, another thump shot through his chest and he put his shaky hand over his heart. “What…” he mumbled, “what was that?”


	4. Chapter 4

Kori made her way through the crowds of her fellow students, who all stood around chattering as they waited for the assembly to begin. As she walked by, she could hear greetings, but she could also hear the beginnings of rumors. Gossip, on the first day… She shook her head slightly, but kept her head down. She knew better than to stand out. She just wanted to get to her seat, space out during the entrance speech, and get to class. 

Out of nowhere, a male student laughed boisterously and stepped into Kori’s direct path. She swerved around him, dodging his swinging hands and giving him a sharp look as he shot a half-assed apology in her general direction. Unfortunately for her, she walked right into someone else in her slight distraction. She collided with someone’s back, stumbling back slightly. “S-Sorry!” she squeaked, eyes turning upwards to the slightly taller figure. 

“Oh, Kori-san,” the other female student purred, glossed lips curling at the edges and making Kori wince internally. The girl, Momoko, had her pink hair in a loose french braid, and she wore her uniform quite properly, albeit her uniform tie was pulled looser. Momoko made the proper uniform look relaxed and casual and not stuffy and overly-proper, much to Kori’s chagrin. “Please be more careful,” Momoko said with a light tone, “you’re lucky it was only me you bumped into.”

“...right,” Kori mumbled, averting her gaze from the other girl’s calculating green gaze. Only her? She nearly scoffed. Momoko was about as dangerous as the delinquents in their school, despite her proper appearance. Kori couldn’t be fooled; her mental danger alarms were blaring whenever she was anywhere within vicinity of her former classmate. She sincerely hoped they wouldn’t be in the same class again. “Sorry, Momoko-san,” she bowed slightly, head still down, and attempted to continue on her path to her chair.

“Getsuga-senpai is vice president this year.” Kori stopped in her tracks, intercepted as the other female stepped into her path. “Great for him, isn’t it? Are you two on good terms after the whole debacle last year?” 

Kori’s lips thinned. “I don’t really care.”

“I thought you two could have been an adorable pair, if you ask me.” The pinkette said, her finger tapping her chin in thought. “But he’s got a lot going on in his head, that one, though he acts like an airhead.” Kori turned away, trying to find an escape route, missing the way Momoko’s green eyes glinted in the light. “If you ask me, Getsuga-senpai seems strangely smitten with that red-head from the journalism club--”

“It was nice to see you again, Momoko-san, but I want to find my seat, if that’s okay… Sorry for bumping into you.” The shorter of the two bowed again, side-stepping around the other girl and making her way. Momoko was acting polite and kind enough, but her words were laced with a promise of mischief and chaos, and Kori didn’t like it. Kori found gossip distasteful, and Momoko was the one who kept the rumor mill running. She had no way to prove it, of course, but she knew she dealt with lies and deception and had puppet strings within the student body. 

“Don’t be a stranger~” Momoko singsonged behind her. Kori kept walking, heading to the third-year section of the assembly hall and making her way to her assigned seat. She began to dissociate in and out of her consciousness, barely aware that she had been staring at the back of someone’s head… someone with bright red hair…

She was jolted into attentiveness as someone tapped on the microphone up on stage, and Kori found herself looking up at an upperclassman with purple hair, an earring concealed behind his hair but she knew it was there, who had a relaxed smile and an air of ease around him. “Hello, good morning, everyone!” she said, and his voice had the same clarity and cheerfulness she had grown to be infatuated with a year ago. 

Kori’s eyes averted and remained downcast throughout the whole speech and ceremony. 

 

Taisei was in his final year. Honestly, the blond male couldn’t believe it. Today was the first day of his final year in high school, then it was off to make whatever path he wanted in life. As it seemed to be tradition for the school uniform to be altered each year they survived high school, Taisei had his sweatband around his head (he used it to keep his hair off his face whenever needed), and he wore his white school jacket open, an orange long-sleeve all he wore underneath. He stood around with his friends, catching up casually as they waited for the assembly to begin. “What’re you planning to do after we graduate, Tai?” asked one of the boys, a tall guy with deep brown eyes on his basketball team.

“Isn’t it too early to think about that? It’s our first day,” replied Taisei with a laugh, the others joining in.

“What do you mean, you idiot? It’s our last year,” laughed another boy, one from the tennis team. 

“Honestly, I haven’t given it much thought.” Taisei admitted, making some of the boys shake their heads at him, and some of the boys smack his back in solidarity.

Taisei was a star athlete in school and had received several scholarships due to his involvement in a handful of sports teams; he was presented with multiple opportunities due to his athletic prowess, but he couldn’t entirely admit that he was ignoring it all because he was still waiting… Through the throng of his friends, Taisei found himself looking at the distant fourth-year seating of the assembly where a male with silver-hair sat alone, writing something down in a composition book. Gin, a fellow fourth-year, who was well-known for his musical talent-- a childhood friend of his… Taisei couldn’t help but wish he was over there with him, talking about what songs Gin was writing; he couldn’t admit to himself that what he was waiting for wasn’t an athletic scholarship, but an arts scholarship to land him in music school. Taisei mentally rolled his eyes. Yeah, right.

“My goal this year? To get a girlfriend.” The blond zoned into the current conversation, his friends discussing their goals before their high school lives came to an end. “Preferably an underclassman, so I can take care of her and visit her from university, and she can make me lunches and--”

“That’s kind of creepy,” Taisei commented, earning an indignant squawk from his buddy. He laughed loudly, stepping back and dodging a swipe at his head, walking right into a girl’s path. “Oh, I’m sorry!” he called and received a sharp look in return. Taisei rubbed his neck sheepishly, watching as she scuttled away. The jokes and jabs from his friends blurred from his hearing for a moment as the girl disappeared through the crowd. 

_Huh,_ he found himself thinking, _what sad eyes she had._


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is a little short because of exam season, but here's another pair introduction!

Deka had watched her two older brothers walk away before the entrance ceremony started, feeling herself shrink into her seat a little. Her mind was suddenly weighed with numerous insecurities, so much so that she didn’t hear much of the speech because she was so trapped in her mind during the whole length of it. When her fellow freshmen started standing up around her and heading towards the exit, Deka broke out of her nervous reverie, blinking and looking around to try to gather herself. _Gods_ , she berrated herself as she stood up and dusted her skirt off, _get yourself together. You’re not a child anymore._

Deka fiddled with one of her braids nervously, following the instructions of who she assumed were student council or volunteers; the student with the yellow bands on their arms were yelling over the crowd and herding them in an attempt to keep everything organized. However, all the higher levels chatted loudly over them, already knowing what to do and where to go. The blonde girl felt her pulse spike in anxiety. Okay, they said first years remained on the first floor… but the first floor was the largest! Which way were the classes, and down what hall?

She stopped in her tracks and stepped to the side as she exited the assembly hall, clutching her chest and taking deep breaths to try to calm herself down. Deka closed her eyes for a moment, trying to minimize sensory overload; everything was starting to overwhelm her. 

“Whoa, who is she? She’s really cute.” Said a passing male voice close to her. 

“Is she a freshman? She doesn’t look like one.” Deka tried to drown out the voices.

“I hope she’s in my class, heh.” 

“She looks like a freshman… how cute.”

“I have never seen her before; she looks like a doll.”

Annoyed and highly stressed out, Deka whipped around, her eyes narrowed and catching two older students who were checking her out. The boys, surprised at her sudden movement, looked like they nearly jumped out of their skin. One of them had the gall to smile and wave sheepishly, before grabbing his buddy and walking off. “That was an icy glare,” she heard him say with a laugh, “I felt a shiver go down my spine!”

“Gods,” she muttered to herself, “what pigs.” The blonde girl took a deep breath, releasing it in a long, drawn-out sigh. She began muttering further to herself. “Alright, Deka, just go ask--” She stopped abruptly, interrupted by a large, furry… paw… on her shoulder. She looked up in mild surprise, seeing a muzzle of white. Breaking out of her stupor, she realized it was a white wolf mascot, wearing a jersey in the school colours. “...Can I help you?”

The mascot, or whoever was inside the costume, kept up their character. The large wolf head shook , and from their pocket came a small notepad and a pen. The person made a little scene of scribbling on the note, shaking their curled-up stuffed tail behind them. When they were done, the note read: _You seem lost, woof! I’ll lead you to your class, woof!_ After Deka finished reading, she deadpanned up at the mascot, who threw out a peace sign and a mechanical wink. “Well, I guess I see no harm… I’m kind of lost anyway.” Deka nodded her consent and the large wolf mascot did a little hop and twirled into a dance. Whoever was inside the costume seemed to be perfect for the job. With a slight amused quirk to Deka’s glossed lips, she allowed them to lead her down the hall and through a few turns. The mascot skipped in its step all the way, and spun into another dance once they were in the hall where the first year classes were. Deka made a mental map of the turns they took and what they passed by on the way there. 

“1-C, this is my stop,” she announced, turning to the mascot and bowing deeply. “Thank you for helping me.”

The mascot nodded, hands on its hips, in what seemed to be a heroic stance.

“I will be taking my leave then,” she said, waving goodbye and turning to enter the classroom and hopefully find a seat by the windows. 

The mascot watched as she entered the class, lingering there even as she had already gone. The person inside smiled. “Heh.”


	6. [[HIROSHI-mission snippet]]

Sirens were blaring and blinding lights were streaking into the inky darkness, bright flashes searching every shadowy crevice-- every obscure corner-- trying to land on the fleeing figure. The stomps of group after group of guards rang out like thunder around the underground “legal firm,” men barking orders directing each wave of guards. They wouldn’t stop coming. The figure, clad in black, mentally cussed, concealed cleverly between two large bookshelves in one of the lower rooms where all the important files were kept. Security was top-notch, but not enough to keep him at bay… he got through every trap, dodged every laser, hid perfectly every time a watchman passed by the glass walls of the room. His darkened, gold eyes were blown wide in the darkness; he was carefully turned away from the flashing lights to keep his eyes adjusted to the shadows. He had the files he was here for-- the files meant to sabotage some powerful alliance in the underground. He did everything right… Which meant one thing: he was set up. Someone decided his capture was worth much more than these confidential files… Or someone was trying to use him as a scapegoat.

Hiroshi almost scoffed at the thought. ‘I’ve been through similar situations, and I’ve slipped through each one.’ His gaze darted around the room, looking for some means of escape. The vent? No, too obvious. They will be waiting where it ends. The floors were solid-- he had checked earlier, stepping on them to see if any of the tiles made a hollow noise. None of them did. He had to be clever; he had to do what they weren’t expecting him to do. And they were expecting him to be sneaky. Which meant…

‘Okay.’ He slinked down into a crouch, creeping soundlessly nearer the glass walls, then near the glass door exit where guards were running past. There was a guard stationed at the door, but they didn’t expect him to be in the same room he had stolen from; the guard looked young… new. Perfect. He felt his lip curl beneath his mask. His whipped his long black tail out from beneath his hoodie, letting the fur fluff up a little before he waved it briefly--and intentionally-- out of his hiding spot. The young guard, as planned, saw movement from his peripheral and immediately moved into the darkened room to investigate. As he took one step in and pulled out his flashlight, Hiroshi was quick behind him, locking him into a choke hold and pulling him in, his tail catching the flashlight before it hit the ground. Hiroshi pulled him further into the shadows as the glass door shut soundlessly, muffling the young guard’s gasps. “Sleep,” Hiroshi whispered.

\-----

“He can’t have gotten out, we have every exit locked!!!!” One of the commanders screamed in frustration, barking at his underlings to search more thoroughly. “LEAVE NO ROOM UNCHECKED. LOOK BEHIND AND UNDER EVERYTHING. OPEN ANYTHING YOU THINK A PERSON CAN FIT INTO. WE’LL SMOKE HIM OUT IF WE HAVE TO!”

“S-Sir!” A young guard ran up to the fuming man, nerves obvious and apprehension clear. The commander didn’t recognize him. Judging from his jittery demeanor, he must be a new recruit. “W-We, um, we--”

“SPIT IT OUT, BOY!”

The young guard shook in his boots. “S-SIR! We found one of ours i-in the room the f-files are in, knocked out, SIR!”

“WHAT! WHY DIDN’T YOU SAY SO SOONER?! MEN, TO ME!” The commander yelled, shoving past the young guard and running down the narrow hall from where he came. The other guards in the vicinity followed their commander with no question, not wanting to anger him further and probably wanting to just catch the guy and go home. The young guard watched as the area emptied, side-stepping to let the last of them pass. 

“Heh,” he chuckled under his breath, gold eyes gleaming under his cap. 

\-----

“Yula, I’m home!” Hiroshi announced as he shut their door behind him, flipping the lock. Silence greeted him, as well as the darkness of the house. The black-haired male flicked the light switch on, surveying their home. Before jumping to conclusions, he checked his phone, spotting a text from his wife that said: “Visiting Ven with the kids, don’t wait up for us <3 Love u!” 

Hiroshi sighed in relief and put his phone back into the pocket of his hoodie, slipping off his shoes by the door and shedding his light jacket. Hiroshi dropped his keys on the kitchen counter, retrieving the file folder from a slit on the inside of his hoodie’s back, and laying out the papers on the counter. Usually it was none of his business what his employers wanted smuggled, stolen, planted, or whatnot… but he had been set up tonight. He thought he had the right to know what he had nearly lost his life for. Flipping the folder open, his golden eyes scanned through the text, tail waving lazily behind him. It was minor stuff, not even that confidential-- data about some sort of alliance between two large companies that would be common knowledge soon enough. This information was not valuable whatsoever. He felt his fur bristle in irritation.  
He turned to the last page, lower lip jutting out in in frustration, and he skimmed the document… and felt his blood freeze over. The last document was an arranged marriage proposal, one between that of Takeshima Saito… and some girl he had never heard of. But, wasn’t Saito engaged to Hina…? If these were the official files, then why…? Reading onwards, he noticed a small card tucked behind the official statement. Hiroshi pulled it out, reading the words carefully.

_Aizaki Hiroshi, married to Takeshima Yula.  
Survived by Haruka, Yoru, and Yana Takeshima._

Hiroshi read through the card, which had his date of birth, his address, his occupation-- his heart was beating loudly against his rib cage; he thought he could hear his pulse pounding in his ears, but was slow to realize it was thundering footsteps surrounding the vicinity of his house. At the bottom of the page, in red, was a statement that sent adrenaline coursing powerfully through the male’s veins.

_Status: TERMINATED_


End file.
